LifeWay Research: Americans open to outreach from churches

Written by David Roach

NASHVILLE, Tenn., – Despite worries among evangelicals that Americans are set against attending church, most people would attend if invited in the right manner.

A recent study by the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and LifeWay Research found that 67 percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. A personal invitation from a friend or neighbor would effectively reach 63 percent.

 Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) are willing to receive information about a local congregation or faith community from a family member, and 56 percent are willing to receive such information from a friend or neighbor.

"The primary lesson North American believers should learn from this research is that many of your unchurched friends are ready for an invitation to conversation," said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research. "Unbelievers next door still need a simple, personal invitation to talk, to be in community and to church. Clearly, relationships are important and work together with marketing."

The survey, commissioned by the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board and conducted by LifeWay Research, may be the largest survey ever conducted on Americans’ receptivity to different methods of church invitations. LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources, surveyed more than 15,000 adults in December 2008 using a random, demographically balanced, stratified sample of Americans. NAMB commissioned the research as one of the steps to prepare for "God’s Plan for Sharing," its national evangelism initiative that will launch nationwide in 2010.

Out of 13 approaches tested, personal invitations from family members or friends is the only method that a majority of Americans say would effectively draw them to church. Visiting door-to-door received the least favorable reception.

Less than a quarter of Americans (24 percent) are willing to receive information from a local congregation through a visit to their door. Still, 31 percent say a visit to their door would be effective in getting them or others to visit a church.

Church advertising efforts take a back seat to personal invitations from family and friends. Americans say they are somewhat willing or very willing to receive information about church via newspaper ads (46 percent), radio ads (41 percent) and television ads (40 percent). Similar reaction is seen toward receiving information from a local congregation through outdoor advertising (46 percent) and letters mailed to the home (45 percent).

Up to a third are somewhat willing and just more than 10 percent are very willing to receive information from those forms of advertising. Less than 10 percent, however, think such ads would be very effective in getting them or others to visit a church.

"This research confirms that media advertising efforts can under gird and enhance those personal approaches while not relying on them alone," said Brandon Pickett, team leader for NAMB’s communications team.

Internet communication from churches is also unwelcome by most Americans. A majority (66 percent) are unwilling to receive information through an e-mail message, and 70 percent say e-mail would be ineffective in getting them to visit.

In addition to the method of inviting, the inviter’s denomination makes a difference. Americans are most open to invitations from nondenominational churches and least open to invitations from Mormons.

Twenty percent of respondents said an invitation from a nondenominational church would be more effective when asked, "Considering your response to the methods used by a local congregation or faith community ... would the invitation be more effective, less effective or about the same if you knew the invitation was from one of the following types of churches?"

Southern Baptist invitations are more effective for 11 percent of Americans, and Roman Catholic invitations are more effective for 15 percent.